Optical fiber assemblies commonly include a housing that is mounted on a panel and a body with fiber-holding passages, that can be inserted and retracted from the housing, and therefore from the panel. There are times when it is desirable to retract only a single one of a plurality of fibers out of a corresponding body passage, while leaving the rest of the fibers in place so they can continue to carry signals. Such capability should be in addition to the ability to remove the entire body. Furthermore, it is desirable that the body project a minimum distance from a panel in which the housing and body are mounted. An optical fiber assembly that enables such versatile disassembly and unlatching, would be of value.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, an optical fiber connector assembly is provided, which enables unlatching of the body from a housing and partial disassembly that enables the retraction of a single one of multiple fibers, in a connector that projects only a small distance rearward of a panel into which it and its housing are inserted. The connector includes a body that forms the fiber-receiving passages that hold fiber-receiving ferrules, and a backshell that can be readily fastened and unfastened from the body. When the backshell is removed, a technician has access to individual fiber assemblies to remove a selected one of them.
The backshell carries a cam that is operated by a handle lying beside the cable-receiving aperture of the backshell. When the cam is moved against the force of a spring, as by pivoting it about the axis of the cable-receiving aperture, the cam pushes a cam follower forwardly. The cam follower forwardly pushes a pair of release members slidably mounted on the body. The release members deflect a pair of latch arms on the housing out of engagement with shoulders on the body, so the body can be pulled out.